title: Exhaled breath condensate sampling is not a new method for detection of respiratory viruses.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) sampling has been considered an inventive and novel method for the isolation of respiratory viruses.
  
  
  METHODS
  In our study, 102 volunteers experiencing upper airway infection were recruited over the winter and early spring of 2008/2009 and the first half of the winter of 2009/2010. Ninety-nine EBCs were successfully obtained and screened for 14 commonly circulating respiratory viruses. To investigate the efficiency of virus isolation from EBC, a nasal swab was taken in parallel from a subset of volunteers. The combined use of the ECoVent device with the RTube™ allowed the registration of the exhaled volume and breathing frequency during collection. In this way, the number of exhaled viral particles per liter air or per minute can theoretically be estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Viral screening resulted in the detection of 4 different viruses in EBC and/or nasal swabs: Rhinovirus, Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus B, Influenza A and Influenza B. Rhinovirus was detected in 6 EBCs and 1 EBC was Influenza B positive. We report a viral detection rate of 7% for the EBCs, which is much lower than the detection rate of 46.8% observed using nasal swabs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although very promising, EBC collection using the RTube™ is not reliable for diagnosis of respiratory infections.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Catholic University of Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B3000 Leuven, Belgium. lieselot.houspie@uzleuven.be
authors.forename: Lieselot
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Houspie
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Coster
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Keyaerts
authors.forename: Phouthalack
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Narongsack
authors.forename: Rikka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Roy
authors.forename: Ive
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Talboom
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sisk
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Jannick
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verbeeck
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Ranst
mesh_terms: D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods*; D045853:Exhalation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*